Calisthenics Vs. Bodybuilding – Which Is Better?

The age-old question in the fitness world has always been whether or not calisthenics is a better option than bodybuilding when it comes to a style of exercising. It can be a difficult thing to answer this question since they are very different forms of exercising your body. Calisthenics are focused on using your body as a weight, as well as including all of the cardio exercises a person would typically do. It is considered to be a generally healthier option in comparison to its’ counterpart. Bodybuilding, as the name suggests, focuses on using weights in various different places and ways. People advocating for it claim that it’s a much better choice than calisthenics, but is that true? Here are a couple of comparisons so you could decide for yourself which is better – calisthenics or bodybuilding?

The Effectiveness of Each Individual Technique

One of the main reasons why this argument is even ongoing is because of the everlasting question of whether which one has better effects on the body and how fast can you improve your physique. It is true that by focusing yourself on bodybuilding you’re going to achieve your results relatively faster than if you were to focus yourself on calisthenics. This is due to the fact that when you’re doing bodybuilding, you’re isolating the exact muscle you’re trying to strengthen, ultimately leading to a faster growth. While calisthenics have a slower progression when it comes to building your muscles, it is generally accepted that they strengthen in a more natural and healthier way. All that being said, it can sometimes be hard to achieve the same look of a bodybuilding arm by doing solely calisthenics. There are both pros and cons to both of the techniques and it depends on what you want your results to be.

The Safety of Each Individual Technique

This is another question that constantly arises when people are debating whether or not calisthenics is better than bodybuilding. Safety is and should be a very important factor when you are exercising, and it shouldn’t be dismayed for the sake of the argument. If you encounter an injury while working out, it could potentially restrict you from exercising in the future, or god forbid to function properly in day-to-day life. Calisthenics is generally accepted as the safer option when it comes to working out in comparison to bodybuilding, due to the fact that you’re working with no weights which in most cases are the cause of injuries. This doesn’t mean that calisthenics are a one hundred percent safe option when it comes to your workout, since you could easily fall and hurt yourself when you’re doing pullups for an example. Bodybuilding with proper guidance is always advised, especially if you’re only just starting to work out. You need to be familiarized with how the weights work and how to manipulate them without hurting your muscles or joints. A lot of the people tend to injure themselves while working with weights because they think they can lift more than they actually can, resulting in sometimes very serious injuries. Consulting with a fitness trainer is always recommended, as he will guide you through everything you need to know when it comes to weightlifting.

The Price of Each Individual Technique

Of course, what people want to know before they start to exercise is which option is cheaper when it comes to your training. Bodybuilding is considered to be a more expensive choice between the two. This is because if you opt for bodybuilding, you’re inclined to either have a gym membership, or to invest in weight sets for your home gym. This doesn’t necessarily mean that doing calisthenics will leave your wallet intact, because you’ll be needing to invest in many different items that will aid you in performing your exercises more efficiently. People who opt for calisthenics also tend to invest more into supplements as their physical growth is a little bit slower as we mentioned earlier. In both cases, you shouldn’t be spending your money on needless equipment just for the sake of it, and even if you do, there are many used options for those items which you can save your money on.

Accessibility of Each Individual Technique

When it comes to accessibility of calisthenics and bodybuilding there is no question about it. Bodybuilding is far more accessible due to its’ popularity. There are hundreds and hundreds of gyms which you can regularly visit at any given point of the day to have your workout. There are a lot of gyms that work non-stop so you can manage to train even if your schedule is very busy. In recent popularity there have been introduced gym passes, which is a way of having one membership for multiple gyms in one area, making it incredible accessible and easy to go to. Calisthenics have a problem when it comes to this. For an example, if it’s cold outside or if it’s raining, it can be extremely difficult and unsafe for you to go out and exercise. Calisthenics are incredibly dependent on weather conditions that are present during that day. This is why a lot more people opt for bodybuilding instead of calisthenics. The pure accessibility of it makes it seem like a far better choice when choosing between the two, although when it’s summer or spring, it’s hard to argue which is the more accessible choice. So, in summary, it is very difficult to decide which is a better option – calisthenics or bodybuilding. Both have their pros and cons which will affect a person depending on their tastes and preferences. Some might like the more natural aspect of the calisthenics, whilst others prefer the tightness and accessibility of a gym. At the end of the day, you should be the one judging this and deciding on which one is better for your fitness life. You should pick the one that you’ll have more motivation with, which is ultimately the only thing that matters when it comes to working out.